


Discord in the Commonwealth

by Kosho



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-05-28 11:17:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6326890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kosho/pseuds/Kosho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eris, a young girl with a penchant for trouble, begins her journey in a world that barely resembles the one she last recalled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> D: This is my first attempt at a Fallout fic, please be gentle.

The door opened, and a rush of warmth washed over her. The conflict between the freeze of the cryogenic chamber and the heat in the room caused her to shiver. How she ended up there or why, she had long since forgotten, and staying was not in her plans. Bracing against the chamber until her legs stopped shaking and she was sure she could walk without falling over, the girl followed the paths, scraping a hand through her hair while she walked. Stopping only to pick up a few things here and there, it felt like forever until the vault door came into view. The door rolled open, revealing the first view of the outside world. Taking a quick stock of the meager gear on her person, she grunted, the gun would be little help, she had never fired one before, and could all but guarantee a terrible shot. In a pinch it could scare off an enemy, maybe, but that was also doubtful. By far her best find was some water, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that still worked. Thumping the pack against her hip, hastily ripping away the cellophane and foil, pulling it out and resting it between her lips. Lighting it, she made the short walk back into the remnants of Sanctuary Hills, the last place she remembered calling home. A robot frantically approached, and spoke, seeming nervous. Exhaling a puff of smoke, she shifted her weight to one leg, head tipped to the side.

“Codsworth, wasn’t it? The Neighbor’s butler or somethin’.” She drawled lazily.

“Yes, and you would be… Ah! Miss Eris. I haven’t seen you – or anyone, for that matter in around 210 years!” he exclaimed.

Somehow, the news failed to phase Eris in the least. “I believe it. I didn’t see anyone else in the vault, guessing I’m the only one who made it out.” She said with a careless shrug.

A bit more back and forth, and at least a destination came up, Concord. Flicking the butt at the ground, she crushed it under her boot, shielding her eyes while she tried to get her bearings.

“Do be careful, young lady!” he called to her.

Not looking back, she raised a hand. “I’m good. Don’t worry about me.”

* * *

 

The journey to Concord was a short one, and the scenery matched the mood, tense and chaotic. The difference was that this place was filled with hostiles. A voice called to her from a building, piquing her interest. Knowing the gun would be fairly useless, her best option would be to sneak in, if possible. Hiding behind wrecked cars, Eris quickly made her way into the building, only to find out it too, was filled with enemies as well. Heaving a sigh, she grabbed a short metal pipe, resting it on her shoulder. The jumpsuit she wore wouldn’t be much protection either, though there weren’t a ton of options. Wandering around this wasteland without a confrontation was highly unlikely, and fighting had never frightened her in the least. Some might even suggest that she had always been a bit of a troublemaker, if anyone she knew from before had actually lived. A figure popped out around the corner, and without hesitating, her hand swung down, connecting a blow against his head. It must have been well placed, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone else in the immediate area, and couldn’t hear anyone coming. Dropping to a knee, rifling through his pockets, she found a few caps, too many to be a coincidence. Grabbing them, she worked on removing his gear and ammo, even though she couldn’t picture using it. It didn’t look like much, but she threw the scrap armor on, pulling the hood over her face.

“God, this stinks…” she mumbled to herself.

It took a bit of time to reach people who didn’t look like they meant to kill her right away. Rolling up the bottom of the hood, she slowly pulled out a cigarette, lighting it while she listened. Admittedly, she missed a good portion of what he had said, just that his name was Preston Garvey, and they were holed up here until the raiders could be dealt with completely. Supposing she should introduce herself as well, but not quite trusting them, she shrugged a shoulder, exhaling slowly.

“Name’s Nyx. Guessin’ you told me all this because you want my help, right? I’ve got nothin’ better to do.” Eris said, taking another drag.

“Right, any help would be appreciated, we really just want to get out of here and try to get somewhere safer. There’s a crashed vertibird on the roof, has a minigun you should be able to take off, and there’s some Power Armor there too. If you can get the fusion core for it, it wouldn’t be hard to clear out the raiders.” He instructed.

That was certainly a lot to take in. It hadn’t been all that long since she had left the vault, and this was really sudden. Awfully trusting bunch, considering they didn’t know her, and she had already lied once.

“Power armor, I can handle. Minigun? I doubt. I’m terrible with guns.” She laughed.

“Trust me, that gun holds a lot of ammo, even the most inexperienced person could manage, I’m sure.” He assured her.

Eris thought about it for a moment, a cloud of smoke looming around her. Put like that, it was hard to not be curious. Maybe it would even be fun. Waving her hand slightly, accompanying a nod, she answered. “Fine, if you really think I’m the right person to do this, who am I to refuse?”

* * *

 

Finding the core wasn’t hard, and the path to the roof was fairly straightforward as well. Flicking the butt off the roof, she rolled the hood back down, turning her attention to the metal suit. Bigger than she imagined, but very sturdy looking. Inserting the core, she climbed in, taking a bit to acclimate herself to the way it felt, cautiously testing her movement in it. Confident that the controls had been memorized, she gripped the edge of the Minigun, yanking it out with greater ease than she pictured. Stepping to the edge of the roof, the sight of many raiders gathered below came into view. Bringing the gun up, she took aim, noticing that Preston was already firing on them. He was a better shot, though there was one on the roof across from her. Experienced or not, this close, it shouldn’t be too hard to hit him. Changing targets, she opened fire, actually managing to hit him a few times.

“Heh, I hit somethin’! Today isn’t so bad after all.” She stated, rather proud.

By the time she managed to take him out, it looked like Preston had killed the rest. Pride went out the window almost immediately. Figuring that was the end of it, she jumped off the roof, landing with a heavy thud.

“Watch out, I’m picking up some strange readings, I don’t think you’re alone down there!” Preston yelled down to her.

“Preston, I don’t see any more raiders, are you sure that’s accura— “she stopped, staring at the creature that rounded a corner. “What the hell is that?!”

Eris turned and ran towards a building on the corner, taking shelter inside, the creature scraping at the walls, trying to get in. Thankfully it wasn’t able to reach her, though the shock of seeing it was enough to make her freeze up.

“Nyx, that’s a Deathclaw, it’ll be a challenge, but I think you can kill it. You seem to have found an advantageous spot, just open fire and be careful not to damage the structure by accident.” He explained calmly.

Easy enough for him to be so composed, he wasn’t the one this close to it. Preston was a very good shot, if it had been him in her place, she was certain he could have taken it out with ease. Taking aim once more, she opened fire, not letting up. Even this close, with direct hits, the Deathclaw didn’t seem to be taking much damage.

“I don’t think I’m hurtin’ it much, what’s with that?” she asked, her voice almost drowned out by the gunfire.

“They have pretty high defenses, don’t stop firing, it’ll go down eventually.” Hard to hear what he was saying.

Despite uncertainty of what he said, she didn’t let up until it began to overheat. Needing a bit to cooldown, she followed the angry beast carefully, swinging it up against its head when it poked it through a halfway boarded up window. Unsteady steps seemed like a decent indicator that it was very nearly defeated. Just as she was prepared to ask how long it would be before she could resume shooting, it worked again, aimed at its head this time, with a horrible screech, it fell over, a cloud of dust rising on impact.

“I…I did it… I can’t believe it!” she gasped.

“Great job, we’ll be down shortly and we can talk again then.” He told her.

In case there were others close by, she stayed put until they came into view outside the door. Waving her out, she met up with them again.

“You know; you were really helpful. Mama Murphy has a place in mind, just a little way down the road. Why don’t you come with us?” he offered, waving her along.

At present, she had no leads as to where to go, agreeing. Following them quietly, she heaved a sigh, rolling up the hood once more, placing a cigarette to her lips as she lit it.

* * *

 

The trail led right back where she started, a fact which bothered her less than she thought it might. The sun was still up, yet it was getting late, and the idea of catching a little sleep was too tempting to pass up. Besides, if she intended to start wandering soon, it would be better to not start when she could be taken by surprise.

“This place sure seems nice. A good place to set up, what do you think?” Preston asked.

She looked around, for a bit, unsure how to answer it at first. “It was fine when I lived here before. It’s worse for the wear now, but should still be great.” She finally said, quietly.

Preston seemed a little confused by that, not immediately sure what to say to it. Eris decided to save him the trouble of deciding on what to say.

“I was in Vault 111, just up the road a bit. For 210 years. Before you ask, yes, I’m 227 years old.” She explained. “Cryostasis, I was frozen.”

He laughed nervously. “I wasn’t going to ask how old you are, but I am curious as to why you were in the vault.” He admitted.

“I wish I knew. Some guy came to the house, my cousin signed us up, but I wasn’t plannin’ on goin’. He took off, and I waited outside. Last thing I remember is being carried by someone. Then I woke up in the vault. I don’t know who brought me there, and as far as I could tell from what little lookin’ around I did, my cousin wasn’t in any of the chambers, so I’m not even sure he made it in. Haha, if only they had known back then. I got in a lot of trouble all the time, and I’m honestly nothin’ special.” She told him.

“I don’t know what you were like back then, obviously, but you really did help us out. Maybe you’re not giving yourself enough credit. I could use your help with shaping this place up, and helping out other people, if you’re interested.” He offered.

“Sure, yeah. I can help out from time to time. For now, though, I’m goin’ to look for my cousin. Just because I didn’t find him, doesn’t mean he didn’t just wake up before I did. Just don’t know where to start. “Eris sighed, eyeing a nearby power armor station.

“Rest up for the night. In the morning, I’ll see about getting you the directions to Diamond City. It might be the best place to look for someone, and even if he isn’t there, surely someone knows other good places to look.” He said, gesturing towards a bed under the awning.

Taking the cue, she stepped towards the station, exiting the armor and curling up on the bed. It never used to be this hot at night, but without blankets or pillows, it was welcome enough.

“Diamond City…” she mumbled to herself, as if reaffirming where she intended to go.


	2. Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eris helps Preston out and gets a big promotion. Another detour leads her to more work in Cambridge.

Eris left early the next morning, but not before Preston had informed her of a place that needed assistance. Looking at the map on her Pip-Boy, she noticed it was on the way to Diamond City, which looked so much further away than she anticipated. Knowing the options were limited to “do whatever it takes to survive and prosper” or “give up and die”, it seemed a smart idea to help the Minutemen expand and rebuild as well. The more people who joined the cause, the safer things were likely to be, which benefitted everyone else in addition to herself.

‘Look at this, I’m actually helping. Never thought I’d be doing that…’ she thought.

She passed the remnants of a truck stop awhile back, and had managed to prevent a fight from breaking out, and for the moment had returned to the usual lack of noteworthy scenery. After a time, she reached the place she was tasked with helping out, finding it hard to flag down someone to talk to at first. Eventually a woman approached her, almost hesitantly, a hand pressed nervously to her arm.

“A…are you with the Minutemen?” she asked quietly.

Eris lifted the mask, lighting up before she answered. “Sure am. I’m here to help, what’s the problem?”

Less nervous now that she knew there wouldn’t be a problem, and she wasn’t a raider, she opened up. “We’ve been getting harassed by raiders, we know where they’re coming from, there’s just not enough people to be a challenge. We weren’t sure what to do…” the woman explained.

Nodding slowly, she smiled. “Alright, if you can point me in the right direction, I’ll see what I can do.”

Her map updated again, the hideout once more not too far away. “Thank you, truly, bless you.” She said.

Waving her hand, she turned away. “No need to thank me, ma’am. I’m happy to help out.” Eris told her, this was still partially a lie, as helping was never something she did for the most part, but she found more and more that it wasn’t so bad.

Walking away, she checked her inventory. Eris had found quite a few grenades and managed to make up some Molotov Cocktails. Things like that were easier to deal with than the guns she had found, there hadn’t been any time to practice. Hopefully, there weren’t a lot of them to deal with, perhaps too much to ask for that they were too stupid for good tactics and they’d all bunch close enough together. When she arrived by a broken gate, she squatted down, squashing the remnant of her cigarette under her foot. Peering around the corner as carefully as she could, she counted at least five that were immediately visible. Pulling out the glass bottle, she lit the cloth, throwing it and covering her ears. The explosion was louder than expected, taking them out one by one, though the screams attracted more enemies.

“Shit…” she grumbled under her breath.

Pulling the pin from one of the grenades, she threw it quickly, putting a little more distance between her and where it landed this time. More screams, though this time at least, Eris didn’t hear any other voices, a fine indicator that she could safely proceed into the building for a quick look around. At worst, there would be more people, at best, there was no one left, and she could scavenge for useful things. The building was in far too rough condition to set any kind of explosive off without putting herself at risk as well. Reluctantly, she reached for her pistol, checking to make sure it was loaded. Plenty to loot, which she happily did, stopping to pick a few locks and rummage through contents of storage containers. When she was content that there was nothing else she could use, her focus again shifted to sniffing out the last of whatever opposition might have remained. Finding a door that led to a different, even more dilapidated room, she followed the path cautiously. Too late to react, she was jumped, the bladed weapon cutting through the leather and into her upper arm. Without thinking, she brought the gun quickly against the woman’s head, firing. Impossible to miss at the range, the bullet tore through her skull and into the wall. If nothing else, when she reported back to Preston about this, maybe someone could patch her up.

With a heavy sigh following a grunt of pain, she rolled her hood up once more, lighting up again. Surprisingly, a lot of the old cigarette machines still had packs that were well preserved, even the occasional entire carton. Technically, it was probably fine, it was unlikely that anyone would complain about her age, in her time she couldn’t buy them, sneaking packs from shady friends in well-guarded alleyways. 227 years seemed perfectly legal anyway. Flicking the ash away, she noticed a completion flag, and while there was still plenty left to explore, her arm was throbbing, and she just wanted to report in and leave.

* * *

 

Returning to the woman from before, she waved her over.

“You’re back! Does… that mean?” she began.

“Yeah, raiders are taken care of. Nothin’ to worry about for now.” She mumbled.

“Thank you again, we’ve been talking it over, and we’ve all decided to support the Minutemen, if you need _anything_ , please let us know.” The settler urged.

“Great, I suppose that means I’ll see ya around.” She replied.

The best feature of the Pip-Boy by far was the ability to teleport to places she had already been. In a matter of moments, she was back in Sanctuary Hills. Despite the few decent buildings that were still around, Preston was a challenge to find. Apparently he liked to walk the perimeter often. He stopped when he saw her, accepting her report.

“They’re all dealt with, was there anythin’ else, or is it cool for me to head out?” she asked.

“Just one other thing. I’ll spare you the details for now, but I’m naming you General. You’ve already done so much to help out that it only seems right.” Preston said. “Also, it’s on the way to Diamond City, but if you haven’t been listening, there’s a broadcast, place not too far away. “he said.

Eris remembered her arm, turning to see how bad it was. To her surprise, the wound had already healed, just caked on blood to remember there had ever been an injury to begin with.  Playing it off like she wasn’t about to ask him anything, she shrugged. “Alright, I’ll start walkin’. If it’s not too serious, I’ll stop and help out.” She stated casually.

* * *

 

A police station. Hadn’t seen one of those in a long time. Though to be fair, it was never her locked up, she was smart enough to not get caught. The broadcast indicated this was the right place, people on the steps, and the sounds of shots ringing out drowning everything out. Ghouls, perhaps? She hadn’t seen any before this point, but the idle chatter she had picked up here and there matched the way they looked. Tossing in a grenade, while trying to make sure the blast radius wouldn’t encompass the people who had sent up the signal was a challenge. Switching out to a tire iron she had found, Eris ran in, swinging erratically, strong strikes connecting, limbs scattered around the small area. The fight ended quickly, and a man in armor invited her in to talk for a bit. Admittedly, she hadn’t meant to follow, but he had one of those faces that was hard to say no to. Better if he would have smiled though, that frown made it seem like he was unhappy that she interfered almost. Distracted by the Power Armor, she missed most of what he had said, except where he introduced himself as Paladin Danse, and asked for her to follow him in the hopes of finding a transmitter of sorts.

“I asked your name.” he indicated, his tone offering no room to joke around.

He seemed like the type who would know if she was lying or not. Best to be honest this time. “Eris. I’m sorry, I think maybe my hearin’ is off a little.”

“It happens. Are you willing to come with me or not?” he repeated.

She hadn’t answered that either, apparently. “Yes, of course. I’d love to come with, though…” she trailed off with a frown of her own.

“Though…?” Danse pressed.

“I couldn’t help but notice there was a lot of gunfire. I… am a really terrible shot, I can’t hit anything unless I’m pretty much point blank. If that’s going to be a problem, I could back out before I inconvenience you.” She mumbled nervously.

Eris wasn’t used to rejection, and the idea that he might send her packing, despite only just meeting him was a bit painful to think about.

“That’s no problem. Seemed like you handled yourself just fine outside. I’m certain you’ll come up with something if we run into trouble.” He stated, though there was a distinct lack of emotion in his voice.

Waving to the Scribe and the Knight from before, she followed him out quietly. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind leading her to believe this wouldn’t be the last time she would see him, or accompany him somewhere. Her feelings were very rarely wrong, a silent prayer crossing her lips that he was at the very least, tolerable company. Not affiliated with his organization, she already found herself taking orders from him, and that was one thing she didn’t like. Being told what to do always made her want to disobey in the most spectacular fashion, and yet Danse hadn’t treated her poorly, a fact that made her strangely compelled to _want_ to listen. Propping a cigarette against her lips, the tip burning brightly, scanning the distance as if anticipating an ambush.

“I’m goin’ to guess you’re the kind of guy to remind me that this is a tactical disadvantage.” She said, her voice low.

Glancing back, Danse’s eyebrows drew a little closer together. Before he could reply, however, the sound of footsteps rushing towards them echoed in the stillness. Eris grinned, his focus still on her.  Grabbing a Cocktail, she brought the lit cigarette to the cloth, igniting it easily. Tossing it away, it burst into flames when it cracked open.

“My only argument was about to be that it doesn’t have to be a disadvantage.” She chuckled.

Pulling out her pistol again, she muttered quick encouragement to herself. Mostly that she wouldn’t accidentally shoot him with her terrible aim. Closing an eye, she took aim, most of her shots missing, pausing to reload, not noticing the danger she put herself in. Danse killed it just as she looked up, the last creature falling shortly after. Walking towards her, the heavy steps of the armor hard to ignore.

“Are you alright?” he questioned, that same strict tone from before still there, even as he voiced concern.

“I’m fine. Thank you…” she sighed in frustration.

Turning away, he took a few steps before answering. “You don’t need to thank me. Though… maybe next time, keep both eyes open. Steady your breathing. That should help improve your accuracy.” Danse told her, once more picking up the path.

At the very least, the Commonwealth had only become more interesting like this. With no time to get bored, it promised to be an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really think this isn't all that great, but if nothing else, it's fun to write. 
> 
> In other news, I know this is listed as Danse/Survivor, but needless to say it won't be for a bit. Also, I may or may not stick to canon details.


	3. Back To The Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parting ways with Danse, Eris finds her way to Diamond City ahead of a storm.

When she had returned from the business, she had been given a new weapon. Danse had offered her a chance to join the Brotherhood of Steel, and despite the fact that they barely knew each other, and in the course of the mission, had managed to scorch him with fire from a rocket, due to her inability to resist pressing buttons, he had no reservations about the offer. It surprised her how quickly she accepted the offer. Danse explained everything that they stood for, and even without fully understanding, she jumped right in. He asked her to help the others with their odd jobs, and again, to her surprise, she had taken not just one, but several, before she insisted on pressing on with her own business.

“I swear, I’ll come back. I just need to find out if my cousin actually made it or not.” She had told them.

They let her go without any argument. That had been over two days ago, and she was still not to Diamond City. So much for it being close. It had always sounded and even looked like it wasn’t more than a few hours by foot. No, it was almost two days away, provided minimal breaks were taken. Three with multiple stops, and four with sleep breaks.  Eris had stubbornly pressed on without stopping except for bathroom breaks and water stops, making fine time, though her legs were killing her with how badly they ached. Sighing to herself, she stopped by a news stand, lifting herself on it to take a seat. Pulling the mask just over her mouth, she propped a cigarette between her lips, trying to light it. Finally exhausted from overuse, she popped it back into her pocket, pulling out a backup she found. A gold plated number, the kind of windproof lighter that was very popular before the war. Flicking it, the fire roared to life, closing it and replacing it when she was done with it.

Reaching to her belt for the gun Danse had given her, she looked it over carefully. It didn’t use traditional bullets, but luckily the synths that had overrun the building kept plenty of the correct type of ammunition for it on them. She managed to scavenge a substantial amount, though after she ignited the rocket by accident, they all perished, no chance to test Danse’s strategy for better shooting. Diamond City was supposed to be a big place, and certainly the wrong kind of people would be attracted to it. If nothing else, there was sure to be at least one opportunity to test it out before then. After she finished her break, she jumped down, putting it out on the edge of the news stand, pulling her mask back down. Checking her map to ensure she was still on the right path, she picked up the pace. If she took no other breaks, she might even reach the city before nightfall. Having zoomed in, she had discovered a path which would shave off some time from the trip, though certainly travelling through alleys and other off-the-path places were certainly more dangerous.  Keeping the gun at her side, she glanced back down at it briefly. It was modified, and that made her curious. If Danse knew how to modify this weapon, there was a chance he could explain to her how to modify the other weapons she had picked up.

Before all this, that idea would never have held any interest for her, but in this time, with the world in this condition, it seemed smart to want a more powerful means of protection. If modifying the things she found would make them better, she was definitely interested in that. Eris had seen an armor station, though not understanding how to use it meant her gear had to be sufficient until she learned. Danse was practically an unstoppable fortress, and that was suddenly something she aspired to as well.

“Ugh. Why did that come to mind.” She grunted to herself.

That he had been on her mind so much since they met was bothering her. He came off as bossy and even before she joined up, he had consistently told her what to do, pushing his beliefs into her head. The one thing she disliked more than anything, which should have been enough to make sure he never ever came to mind, and yet he was. Quickening her pace in a way that suggested she was trying to distance herself from her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of the sky. Unusually dark for the time, it should still have been sunny out, lightning arcing across the sky. Was it really about to rain so quickly with so little warning? Checking her map again to verify the shortcut, she realized she was almost there, hopefully she could reach it before it started raining. Cutting through an alley, almost running now, following the walls of the building at her side, a large sign on the ground suggesting she was almost to it.

“That’s a nice weapon you got. You gonna hand it over or will I be taking it off your corpse?” a voice asked.

Tightening her grip on it, she turned slowly. “You want it?” she asked, her tone rather pleasant, as though she might hand it over.

Smiling kindly, she held it out. The man reached for it, surprised that it was that easy. Before he could grab it, she twisted her hand, smashing it against his face. Jumping back, she brought it up, closing her eye.

‘Keep both eyes open and steady your breathing’ she heard in her mind.

Opening it again, she took a deep breath, holding it. Taking aim, she pulled the trigger, the laser connecting, reducing him to a pile of ash. Breathing out slowly, she stared at it for a moment. For a short time, she couldn’t decide if she was more amazed that she actually hit something at all, or that the gun incinerated him on the spot. Kneeling down, she rummaged through the ashes, taking his ammo and the small pile of caps he had. Those caps that she assumed had some significance turned out to be the currency of this place, and luck was on her side. She already had quite a tidy sum stashed away. Probably not enough to buy anything she could actually use, but it was a start. Walking through the gate, she saw a woman shouting to what she thought was no one, until she heard the answer. Stopping next to her, she holstered her weapon, waiting patiently for her turn. The woman had been addressed as Piper by the voice echoed back. Piper turned to face her, gesturing back.

“You want in, play along. I can get us both in.” she whispered.

After seeing the troubles all around, it was no surprise they were cautious about letting people in. Eris knew if she was in charge, she’d be just as cautious. Too easy to let trouble in willingly without protocols. The door opened, though she hadn’t actually heard what was said to cause that. Following the reporter in, she looked around quietly, taking it all in. Diamond City appeared to just be the baseball park from before the war, though that was so long ago, she doubted even they knew. Better not to shatter any illusions about the location and piss the wrong people off. Mere moments after arriving, she had already met the mayor, and was given entry, and a place to start looking for her cousin. Granted she still fully expected to hear that he didn’t make it, it was worth looking into. The best case, he survived, and maybe had found a place, willing to take her in again until she could make her own way out here. Worst case, he never made it to the vault and was long since a pile of bones somewhere, and she would still have to make her own way. For now, she had just been considering her old house her home base, though calling it a house was far too generous, it was dilapidated, and mostly everything inside was long since destroyed, probably pillaged. The name she had been given, Nick Valentine, was her only real lead, aside from hushed whispers of a place called the Institute that might have had a hand in his disappearance. Though she didn’t have the heart to tell Piper at the time, she seriously doubted he was worth kidnapping and replacing with a robot. Finding the agency was the next stop on her list, though she just wanted to wander around and see what the city had to offer first.


	4. Night Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor arrives, that only Eris sees. A plan is made to go back to the place it all began.

_Eris winced in discomfort, blunted pressure prodding along her arm, pausing at her hand. Her eyes had to be mistaken, her cousin had found her, in itself probably good news, but that he was more interested in whatever he was looking at than her caused a slight pang in her chest._

_“Where have you been, what happened?” she asked, the two most pressing questions on her mind._

_“You know what happened. The bombs fell, and everything changed, why ask a silly question?” he said._

_“So I wasn’t the only one who made it out after all?” she questioned._

_At this point, she was so involved in talking, she no longer cared, or noticed what he was doing. It was nothing new, he was probably testing some new creation on her scrapes. It didn’t matter, only that she had found him and the gaps she couldn’t piece together could be answered._

_“You never were the only one. Myself, and two others, granted they left at different times. You were just the last one.” He told her. “I can’t stay here, but I’ll be back to check on you soon. Check by the Power Armor station, I left you something.”_

_“Don’t go yet, I…I missed you. Just a little.” She said stubbornly._

_He prodded her forehead lightly, shaking his head with a chuckle. “You didn’t miss me, and we both know it. You have to stop looking for me, this is your chance to do whatever you want to do, without being told you can’t. Take it seriously, people are watching, they’ll notice the good…and the bad…that you do.” He explained to her._

_She must have been more exhausted than she thought, unsure of the details, only that he had left. Eris didn’t hear a door, or see him go, that she could remember, chalking it up to a lapse from lack of decent sleep._

“Hey, are you awake?” Piper asked.

Sitting up slowly, she nodded, scratching lazily at her head through her mask. “I am now, what’s up?”

Piper held out a hand to help her up, which she accepted without a second thought. “You were talking in your sleep, I was worried, bad dream?”

“No, I…” she began. How was she supposed to explain what had happened? It was clearly him, clearly there, and she hadn’t seen him. If it was a dream, how could she have felt him, and why were the scrapes on her hands gone? Perhaps it was best not to tell her. “I dreamt of my cousin.”

Piper frowned, an expression that was dangerously close to pity when she said it. He had told her not to look for him, to do what she wanted. If that was the case, then perhaps what she wanted most was to see what the Commonwealth had left to offer, maybe help out a bit more and then, when he had time to miss her too, she’d go find him. “Nick wanted to see you, he might be able to help you find some records.”

Eris pulled up her mask, sparing her a glance before she lit a cigarette, resting her thumb on her chin in thought. “The Vault probably has some records, startin’ their might tell me if he was actually kept there. Beyond that, if we were to look into CIT, their might tell us more.”

“CIT? Seriously? Why there?” she asked, a slight change in pitch telling her that something had definitely changed there too while she was frozen.

“It was a university in my time. I don’t know what it is now, but it’s a good place to look.” She answered as neutrally as she could.  “I need to go to the market first, I…dreamed he told me to look for something there.”

Nodding to that, she followed her out, Piper lagging behind to let her lead. Across the path, she could see the Power Armor station. Eris rushed across, taking a knee to check the ground first, though there was nothing, same with the station itself.

“I don’t think…” Piper began.

Eris eyed the mailbox next to it, opening it. Reaching in, she grabbed the note, looking it over, pausing to flick her ash. “He _was_ here after all.”

“I don’t like this, what if he’s just been replaced? How can you be sure it’s really him and not a synth?” she asked.

Eris reached in again, producing a key, as the note had indicated. “He bought this place in my name, it says. Would a synth buy a house for someone?” she countered.

It was a hard thing to accept, and while she was still certain that was the case, she let it go for now. “Point taken, just…just be careful, okay?”

Eris stopped, pocketing her key. Turning to face her, she frowned, though no one could really tell, the mask in the way. “Piper…let’s go see Nick. We’ll find those records, and maybe that will ease your mind a little. This is more important, isn’t it?’

Piper put a hand on her shoulder, gesturing back the other way. “Nick’s office is this way, I’ll take you. If you need me, or…you know, just want a friendly face around, you know where I’ll be.”

She led her back through the alley to the agency office, going in with her. The man, Nick Valentine, was not at all what she had pictured, and it was a challenge not to pry, but he was wearing away in spots, open places where she could see through to the mechanical inner workings. It didn’t take much to connect what little Piper had told her about synths to realize he was one. Not quite as human as she believed, the way she heard it, they were indistinguishable from an actual human. Her cousin was the tech savvy one, and she recalled a satisfactory explanation when they phased out their old television. A newer, better model had come out, and he wanted to see how it compared. Based only on that, she gathered Nick was an older model, and the human ones were just the newer model.

“That sounds like a good plan, actually. We’ll head back to the Vault and poke around, see what there is for records.” Nick said.

It had taken a moment to realize that while she was thinking about the distant past, Piper had certainly filled him in on what she had told her. For some reason, the idea of going back to the icebox caused her a bit of anxiety, though she imagined 210 years as a popsicle would do that. They’d have to pass through Sanctuary on the way there and back, maybe it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to show them what survived of the house as well, she was too close to the situation and her experiences made her less objective, fresh eyes, especially those of a synth and a reporter might be just what was called for to find anything she might have missed.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a bit of a reference in itself. Eris represented Discord in mythology, I'm not sure if I'll keep the title, but meh.


End file.
